China's media conditions threaten Chen Guangcheng

The battle over blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng's
freedom and well-being is a battle over information. Both Chinese and U.S.
officials are trying to spin the story their way. A few activists and media claim
to speak for Chen, and in China's anti-press environment they are putting
themselves at risk. Direct interviews with the man himself are hard to come by.

Chen, a public figure for the past decade due to his work
advocating for victims of forced birth control, escaped
from house arrest in Shandong province last week and made his way to the U.S.
embassy in Beijing. The desperate 300-mile overnight trip was a cry for help. Thugs
have restrained him at home and physically attacked
journalists who tried to interview him since his release from prison in 2010,
where he spent four years for his crusading work.

According to the State department briefing, Chen departed
the embassy this morning because China had promised he would "treated humanely." The American official said the U.S. would
follow up on Beijing's commitments and that Washington was "true to our human
rights policy, which is one in which individuals within their own societies are
given an opportunity to engage."

Here's the rub. Chinese leaders have repeatedly denied Chen
the "opportunity to engage." Plain-clothed security agents have continually
obstructed the media from reporting on him. How can officials in the U.S.
embassy monitor his treatment going forward if neither he, nor the media, can
speak freely? Images
of hospital security marshaling journalists outside the Beijing hospital where
he was reported to be receiving treatment today were reminiscent of the
anti-media guard stationed outside his home in Linyi.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused the U.S. of "misleading
public opinion" about Chen, according to Agence France-Presse. Beijing is not
willing to cede control of this narrative.

And even if Chen's story were to have a happy ending, dozens
of other activists, writers, and journalists are under extrajudicial house
arrest in China. They must all have a line of communication with the world: The
local and international media must be allowed to report on their cases. Until
that's true, the safety of neither Chen nor the others can be guaranteed.

So who is left to speak for Chen? Chinese activist Zeng Jinyan, wife of formerly
imprisoned journalist Hu Jia, close friend of Chen, and herself a long-time
victim of intense extrajudicial
surveillance, has been reporting another version of today's developments on
her personal Twitter account:

"Guangcheng didn't want to leave
the embassy, he had no choice. If he didn't leave, Yuan Weijing (Chen's wife)
would be sent back to Shandong."

Chen's wife fears for her safety if she is left in the hands
of the vindictive local law enforcement, Zeng reported. Time magazine correspondent Austin Ramzy spoke to Zeng by
phone and reported on his own Twitter account:

"Spoke briefly with @zengjinyan She said tweets were
hers but couldn't speak further. 'It's a big risk,' she said."

The situation is still unfolding, but it is clear that more
than just Chen's safety hangs in the balance. Those who report on him still
face harassment or worse.

"Internet users and journalist friends, Chen Guangcheng's
whole family is relying on you," Zeng said on her Twitter account today. "And
if something happens to me after this, I'll be relying on you too."

Madeline Earp is senior researcher for CPJ’s Asia Program. She has studied Mandarin in China and Taiwan, and graduated with a master’s in East Asian studies from Harvard. Follow her on Twitter @cpjasia and Facebook @ CPJ Asia Desk.